Who are Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto? Everything to know about Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty's final group stage opponents in Paris
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto will be the final hurdle that Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty face in the men's doubles group stage matches at the Paris Olympics. Both pair have already qualified for the quarterfinal stage of the Games.
The Indonesians are currently ranked seventh in the world and will be the toughest opponents Rankireddy and Shetty have faced so far. Alfian and Ardianto have been partnered up for a decade now, and their time on the circuit has seen them achieve quite a few milestones. After a handful of impressive performances early in their career, the duo had their breakout season in 2018.
That year, they won the Malaysia Masters as well as the Syed Modi International, and walked away with a silver at the Jakarta Asian Games. They followed up on their impressive 2018 season with a bronze at the 2019 World Championships, and a gold at the 2020 Thomas Cup alongside the Indonesian men's team.
In 2022, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto notched up another slew of impressive performances, ending the year as the World No.1 after multiple trips to the podium at various BWF World Tour events. The next season, the duo claimed their first-ever Super 1000 title when they won the 2023 Malaysia Open. Two months later, they were crowned champions at the All England Open, a title they later went on to defend in 2024.
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto at the Paris Olympics
Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto have had a strong start to their campaign at the Paris Olympics. The Indonesian’s played Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel for their opening round match, and beat them 21-13, 21-17.
Their next outing at La Chapelle Arena came against Lucas Corvee and Ronan Labar, whom they also beat in straight games, this time with a score of 21-13, 21-10. Now, they will take on Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in their final group game.